


New job

by Vault_Emblem



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Bane lives, Crimson Dawn (Star Wars), Gen, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27213919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vault_Emblem/pseuds/Vault_Emblem
Summary: Bane has just escaped prison for the umpteenth time and he’s been already requested. Talk about luck.
Relationships: Cad Bane & Darth Maul
Kudos: 9





	New job

**Author's Note:**

> Well, the bounty hunter arc never aired, so Bane is alive in my heart.  
> It's a shame these two have interacted in the comics, but haven't in the series. I bet it would've been nice.

Bane has just escaped prison for the umpteenth time - it helped that the entire galaxy is going under so many drastic changes, it made his escape unnoticeable to anyone who could really do anything about it - and he’s been already requested. Talk about luck.

He does need credits, as his safety found that he uses specifically for these situations is beginning to run dry, so he’s glad that he got a job already. Nothing better than a hard earned pay.

What he wasn’t expecting was to be contacted by Crimson Dawn. Having been in prison, Bane didn’t know much about it, but he did his homework before accepting their request for a meeting: despite being born recently, and under mysterious circumstances, Crimson Dawn has already successfully taken control of the underground. There isn’t much more information around, not even about its higher-ups, which isn’t that uncommon when talking about criminal organizations.

It’s intriguing enough for Bane to accept. He has thought that this could be a trap, but why should they have such an elaborate setup just for him when they have never interacted? Bane still hasn’t given them a reason to dislike him, and sure it could always be that Crimson Dawn is run by someone he’s wronged before, but what can he do about it? This is how life works when you’re a bounty hunter, you don’t have allegiances. If someone doesn’t understand it, then it’s their problem, not Bane’s.

Besides, if they think they could trap him this easily, he’s going to prove them wrong.

He surely wasn’t expecting to go to Dathomir of all places, though he supposes it makes sense: it’s a ghost planet now, since its inhabitants have been slaughtered. What better place to use as base for your criminal activities?

It’s not like, even without its people, Dathomir is such a hospitable planet, however. It needs courage to decide to station yourself here. That’s one of the reasons why Bane as accepted, because he’s curious to know who would be mad enough to do something like this.

As soon as he arrives, he understands that it won’t be easy to find them: there is no port, no other construction where he could safely leave his ship. It makes sense, since any sign of sentient presence would drag unwanted attention.

Does it mean that he’ll have to find them? Definitely. It has to be some sort of test to see if he’s as good as he claims he is. It’s an obvious challenge, a challenge that Bane won’t back away from.

He smirks. The thrill of the hunt has always been one of the things he enjoys more about his profession; this should be fun.

He finds a good spot for hiding his ship, under the cover of a forest. He has no idea if this is actually a good spot because he’s not familiar with the planet, but at least it won’t be spotted from above.

Besides, he’s pretty sure he’s being watched. He can hope that they’ll be good hosts and watch his ship for him while he’s away. He still puts it in lockdown because they might be their future employers, but he hasn’t made it this far in life by trusting people to have his back. Nobody’s getting inside.

As he gets out of the ship he knows already that there is something wrong with this planet - well, he knew that already, but now he has confirmation of it. If someone asked, he wouldn’t know exactly how to explain it; it’s a feeling, an instinct that Bane is smart enough to listen to.

First of all, this planet is so eerily quiet. Even if its inhabitants have been exterminated, there should be at least some local fauna still living here, and yet Bane hears nothing. Not even the wind rustling through the trees’ leaves makes any sound. Kriffing creepy.

It should be intimidating, but Cad Bane hasn’t made a name for himself by being this easily scared. This is just a challenge like any other, nothing more, nothing less.

Finding the place is actually easier than he thought it was going to be. It doesn’t help that this is the most functional building he’s found, though maybe calling it a building is a bit of a stretch. It’s more like a cave, a construction built inside a mountain.

For a moment Bane wonders who lived there - was it the Nightsisters? The place does give off a magical vibe after all - only to realize that he doesn’t particularly care. The past is in the past, what matters now it’s his job and nothing else.

He looks around before stepping inside, but he sees nobody. They must be waiting for him inside - or they’re very good at hiding, though Bane likes to believe that he’d manage to catch them anyway.

Well, it’s not like there’s more he can do here. All that’s left is to see this through the end.

He steps in the dark, hand already hovering over his blaster. One can never be careful enough.

As predicted, they were waiting for him inside.

He hears running steps approaching and he immediately draws his blaster, though he doesn’t fire, not yet at least - he wants to make sure these are actual hostiles before shooting, or else it wouldn’t be pretty if he shot already his future employer’s guards.

A flashlight gets pointed at him, almost blinding him. Even as he tries, Bane can’t exactly make out who is shining this annoying light at him.

“You Bane?” a gruff voice asks.

“Who else would I be?” he replies, annoyed. Don’t these people know him or how he looks like? Though he supposes one can never be too sure.

Apparently, however, that reply is enough, because the light gets lowered.

“Come with me.”

He’s taken to another room. He tries to make a mental map or where they are passing through, but since he doesn’t know the place at all it’s hard to do so, especially considering how labyrinthine this place is.

Now he understands why someone would choose this place to set their base: who is he ever going to find them without getting lost and thus more susceptible to an ambush?

This makes Bane think, because either this mad genius has taken a lot of time to explore the entire place-- scratch that, the entire planet, or this is someone who was familiar with it already, and knowing that Dathomir has never taken kindly to strangers, it has to be someone who was born here. Interesting…

The mechanical doors that block access to the next room have to be the first sign of actual technology that Bane has seen in this planet; these were definitely made recently.

The guard types something on the keypad on the left - definitely the password - but as much as Bane tries to catch a glimpse of it, he gets caught almost immediately so he goes back to face forward, not wanting to give a bad impression. Still, it would’ve been useful to know.

He doesn’t have the time to think about that anymore because the doors open, leading him to a brightly lit room, or well, more lit than the others he’s been in already.

Stepping inside he has the feeling that was the old building’s main room, with it being bigger than the others. It’s also not empty: there are many groups of people inside, some standing guard, others muttering who knows what between themselves; in this mix he manages to recognize some crime lords and even some people who have already acquired his services time ago. Nice to see some familiar faces.

Speaking of familiar faces, Bane’s about to meet another one: there, in the middle of this chamber, he sees what he assumes is a makeshift throne and, sitting on it, there’s someone Bane didn’t think he’d ever see again.

“Oh,” he says, interest piqued, “It’s _you_.”

He had worked with Maul before; he had hired his and Sing’s services. It was a nice job, not without its hiccups, but it went well - and nobody crossed each other, which is rare these times.

Even though this is clearly the same Darth Maul Bane has worked with, he also has a different air about him: the smile he sends his way is cordial and… dangerous. He definitely seems like he’s not a stick in the mud anymore, but Bane isn’t a fool and he won’t underestimate him just for that.

He takes his hat off and tilts his head in a polite greeting gesture, before putting it on again.

“Color me surprised. I had no idea you had any intentions of pursuing this career.” He’s pushing it, talking to Maul like that, but he lives for danger and tempting fate. He can’t help himself. The risk pays off, because now Maul looks amused.

“Bane, a pleasure to see you again.” Wow, he’s even gotten polite! Still, Bane is there for business, not to catch up with an old friend.

“Why did you send for me?” he asks. There has to be a work related reason for his presence here, and even though it’s not hard to guess what Maul would want from him, Bane still wants to hear what he has to offer.

“ _Join Crimson Dawn_.”

Oh, so he isn’t pulling any punches, huh?

Bane takes his time considering this offer, but he does so in all seriousness. It’s tempting to join such a young organization; it’s easier to rise to the top. Still…

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m more of a free spirit, if you catch my drift…” he says, but before Maul can insist, he keeps going, because he enjoys his freedom but he isn’t completely stupid, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t be willing to occasionally work with you.”

Maul, who didn’t look pleased at his first response, leans over his throne, an intrigued shine in his eyes. “Go on…”

“If you pay well enough, I can take down whoever you want, no questions asks. I just don’t like being tied to just one employer, that’s all. Think of it more as a collaboration,” Bane explains, figuring that it’ll be best if he’s just honest and direct about it rather than circling around the issue with his words. If Maul feels like his ego is getting bruised, then it’s his problem not Bane’s.

Maul makes a big show of thinking about it, then he makes a big smirk; it’s obvious that he’s already plotting something.

“I accept your terms,” he says then, which is a relief because Bane really needs to get some credits, and he’s sure that if Maul wants his services so much, he must also be willing to pay handsomely for them.

Maul gets up and he begins to step closer, the metallic sound of his legs that echo through the room - he doesn’t remember him having those when they first met but what does he know. It’s only when he’s outside of everyone’s hearing shot than Bane that he whispers:

“I would much rather discuss this in private, then. You never know who could be hearing what I’m about to tell you.”

_Well well well_ , looks like they’re already getting into business, eh?

A smirk appears on Bane’s face as well. After so much time, he’ll finally get a new target to hunt down.

“Lead the way, _boss_.”


End file.
